Year: 2019
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: Previous research has documented the benefits of making for young learners, but few studies have examined how parents engage in maker activities during family visits to museums, both as facilitators of their children's learning and as makers in their own right.In this study, we asked how caregivers participate in making and tinkering programs, how parents describe the benefits of making (for their children and themselves), and what aspects of the physical and social setting influence parents' engagement.Data included observations of 88 family groups participating in various making and tinkering activities at a science center (including woodworking, fashion design, virtual reality drawing, circuit blocks, etc) and exit interviews with a subset of 66 caregivers.Qualitative data analysis connected observed qualities of the physical and social setting with caregivers' observed and reported engagement.Through this analysis, we identified specific aspects of the physical environment, tools/materials, and facilitation strategies that invited family participation in general and that were associated with specific caregiver roles, including observing children's learning, facilitation of children's learning, and engagement as a maker alongside children.The implications of the findings for the design and facilitation of maker programs are discussed.
DOI: 10.3102/1442201
Author: Susan Letourneau
Institution: New York Hall of Science
Language: English
Subfield: Museology
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W3166147298